Sophomore Greg Cuccinello posted his first career hat trick with a career-high four goals, while juniors Thomas DeNapoli each scored a pair of goals for the Tigers. DeNapoli also dished out a career-high tying three assists in the win. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage recorded 12 saves, including 10 in the second half.

Fennessy opened the scoring at 13:14 with a 65-yard shot that bounced into an empty net after SJU’s Austin Keen left the crease. Almost three minutes later, Cuccinello scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Hodgson. Siskind scored just under a minute later, beating the Hawks’ keeper from just outside the crease. Cuccinello took advantage of a man-up opportunity off a feed from DeNapoli at 5:35 – exactly four minutes after Siskind’s tally. Hodgson gave Towson a 5-0 lead when he shot while falling to the ground and found the back of the net.

Joe McErlean finally got the Hawks on the board 12 seconds into the second quarter. Senior Matt Hughesscored for Towson at 12:59 to push the lead back to five goals before Johnny Simanski posted a goal for St. Joe’s at 3:35. Hodgson gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

The third quarter was quiet offensively. DeNapoli tallied his first goal of the game off a feed from Hodgson at 6:44. The third different Hawk to score for SJU was Williams when he beat Wascavage high left at 4:58. But Cuccinello’s third goal of the game – his first career hat trick – and Vetter’s tally at 1:30 extended the Tigers’ advantage to 10-3.

The Hawks scored back-to-back goals at the start of the fourth frame when Williams added his second and Will Abbott picked up a ground ball off a SJU face-off win, took it down and scored. However, sophomore Cory Dobyns tallied his first goal back after missing two games with an injury when he buried a pass from DeNapoli at 13:00.

Saint Joseph’s continued to hang around. Williams posted a hat trick with a goal at 10:42 to inch the Hawks to within five, 11-6.

Towson next faces Drexel in the CAA Tournament semifinals at Penn State on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m.

NOTES: Fennessy, Siskind, and Vetter each scored their first career goals … Hughes scored a goal on Senior Night … Cuccinnello posted his first hat trick …

PHILADELPHIA – The Towson men’s lacrosse (7-7, 3-2 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) team scored six straight goals in the second half but the Tigers’ comeback fell short as No. 17 Drexel (10-3, 5-1 CAA) claimed a 14-11 victory on a windy Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field.

Junior Thomas DeNapoli recorded his sixth hat trick and second five-plus goal game of the season with six goals. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello added a pair of goals for Towson. Robert Church and Ryan Belka led Drexel with four goals.

“Drexel played very well offensively and took advantage of our mistakes on the defensive end,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “We had a decent first half and gave them a couple opportunities to get back in it with costly penalties. They came out firing in the third quarter, and we couldn’t earn a possession, which allowed for their run. I was proud of how our guys battled back from down eight goals to get within three, but we just couldn’t erase such a big deficit with the way we played earlier.”

DeNapoli opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the game, when he rolled right about 15 yards out and beat Drexel’s Cal Winkelman low. He posted the game’s second goal, again unassisted, at 12:07 and netted a hat trick at 4:18 in the first quarter when he ripped a shot while curling right around the goal. Drexel got on the board with a minute left in the first frame on a goal from Church.

DeNapoli picked up where he left off at 4:37 in the second off a Brian Bolewicki pass, but the Dragons answered with three straight goals from Belka (two goals) and McIntosh to even the score at 4-4 at 1:58. The Tigers briefly retook the lead, 5-4, with 43 seconds left in the first half when senior Matt Hughes buried a shot from junior Andrew Hodgson. But the Dragons knotted it the score again with 9.5 second left on Belka’s third goal of the day.

Drexel had an explosive third quarter, scoring eight goals to take a 13-5 lead at 4:32. The Dragons held the Tigers scoreless for 12:05 before Hodgson snapped the Dragons’ rally with a goal off a feed from DeNapoli. The junior’s tally started a six-goal Towson run that continued into the fourth quarter and featured goals from DeNapoli (two goals), Cuccinello (two goals) and sophomore Justin Mabus. The run helped Towson cut Drexel’s advantage to 13-11 with 6:57 remaining in the game.

On Saturday, April 20, the Tigers host Saint Joseph’s on Senior Day at 7 p.m. at Unitas Stadium to wrap up the regular season.

NOTES: DeNapoli posted his sixth hat trick of the season … DeNapoli and Hodgson stretched points streaks to 15 games … Wascavage stretched a 10-plus saves game streak to 15 games … This was the second time in 2013 DeNapoli has scored six or more goals in a game … Drexel went on a nine-goal run over the second and third quarters while Towson scored six straight over the third and fourth quarters.

Opening Face-Off
The Tigers come into Saturday’s contest looking to bounce back from a loss to Penn State and to pick up their first win in three tries against Drexel. The No. 17 Dragons defeated UMass 15-14 last weekend in Amherst, Mass. Today’s game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Despite losing to first-place Penn State, Towson has secured a spot in the 2013 CAA tournament held the first week of May at the site of the highest seed in a “Final Four” format. Last weekend, Towson dropped a 10-8 decision to PSU after committing 17 turnovers. Sophomore Justin Mabus and junior Andrew Hodgson each scored two goals and an assist to lead Towson. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves on the day.
Last Time Out vs. Drexel – April 21, 2012 (Drexel 13, Towson 5)
Towson goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made a career-high 21 saves, but Drexel scored the final six goals of the game to upend the Tigers, 13-5, at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. Drexel outshot Towson 49-16 and outscored the Tigers 7-1 in the second half. Drexel’sBrendan Glynn recorded a hat trick for the Dragons, and Matt Lamon led the Tigers with two goals.

Towson-Drexel Series History
Towson leads the all-time series, 37-6. It began in 1962 and was contested annually until 1973 when it went on hiatus for seven years. The Tigers have separate win streaks of 23 games (1965-1997) and 10 games (1999-2007).

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers

All-Time Series Record

Towson leads, 37-6

at Towson

Towson leads, 16-2

at Drexel

Towson leads, 11-2

at Neutral Sites

N/A

at Unknown Sites

Towson leads, 10-2

First Meeting

1962 – Drexel 14, Towson 7

Last Meeting

2012 – Drexel 13, Towson 5

Streak

Drexel +2

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Junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomores Justin Mabus and Greg Cuccinello all had two-goal games for Towson. Hodgson and Mabus each added an assist as well. Senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves for the Tigers. TJ Sanders posted his third five-goal game of the year for Penn State.

Towson and Penn State were evenly matched. The teams split the face-offs, 10-10, and each took 33 shots. Both teams were 2-3 on extra man opportunities. But the Tigers couldn’t overcome 17 turnovers, including five in the first quarter. Penn State scored two goals directly off Towson turnovers.

Sanders got Penn State on the board first at 13:00 in the first quarter before Brian Bolewicki and Cuccinello scored back-to-back goals to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead with 4:55 in the first frame. Sanders and Hodgson traded goals to start the second quarter before the Nittany Lions reeled off four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead at 8:34 in the third quarter. PSU held a four-goal lead, 8-4, at 2:10 in the same frame.

Towson cut the advantage to two goals three times, 8-6 at 11:52 in the fourth on an EMO goal from Mabus, 9-7 after junior Thomas DeNapoli scored unassisted at 10:07 in the fourth and the final 10-8 after a Hodgson goal.

After a first quarter where neither team scored, Towson ran out to a 6-1 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter on goals from six different players. Grimaldi tallied two of his three goals early in the fourth quarter – insurance Towson needed later when UMass closed the game on a furious three-goal run.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello tied his career high with two goals. Sophomores Rob Zoppo, Cory Dobyns and Ben McCarty and junior Thomas DeNapoli each posted a goal for the Tigers. Wascavage’s 20 saves are a season high and fell one short of his career high. UMass had five different players – Kyle Smith, Matt Whippen, Connor Mooney, Colin Fleming and Will Manny – score goals. Zach Oliveri made 10 saves in net for the Minutemen.

For just the third time all season, Towson got on the board first. Dobyns took a behind the head shot off a pass from Grimaldi at 12:40 in the second quarter. Smith took advantage of an extra-man opportunity at 6:02 in the second when the Tigers were called for a 30-second hold, but Towson then scored five unanswered goals to take its 6-1 lead.

Whippen stopped the Tigers’ run with an unassisted goal at 1:38. However, Grimaldi scored back-to-back and Cuccinello added his second when he ripped a shot past Oliveri, beating the goal high left. UMass began its comeback with 5:03 left in the game on a goal from Manny. Mooney and Fleming added their tallies at 4:21 and 3:30 in the fourth, respectively, but the effort fell short.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, April 13 when they travel to University Park to face No. 13 Penn State.

NOTES: Grimaldi’s hat trick was the first of his career … his four points on the day were a career high … Towson is 3-0 when scoring first this season … the last time the Tigers were 3-0 in the CAA was 2010 … Towson’s win snaps UMass’ three-game win streak in the series … this is the fourth straight game the Tigers have limited their opponent to less than nine goals and fifth time in the last six games … Juniors Thomas DeNapoli and Andrew Hodgson and senior Andrew Wascavage continued streaks – DeNapoli and Hodgson each have a point in 13 consecutive games, while Wascavage has made 10+ saves in 13 straight contests.

Opening Face-OffBoth teams are coming off a 7-6 decision last week. Towson defeated then-No. 15 Hofstra at home on Saturday, while UMass fell at St. Joseph’s. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Towson won its third-straight game on Saturday with the 7-6 victory over Hofstra. Senior Andrew Wascavage made a season-best 19 saves and junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomore Justin Mabus each scored four points in the win. Thomas DeNapoli leads the CAA in goals per game (2.55) and is third in points per game (3.45). Wascavage’s 13.82 saves per game rank first in the league and his .608 save percentage is third.
Last Time Out vs. UMass – May 2, 2012 (No. 1 UMass 10, Towson 3)Towson finished its season in the CAA semifinals against then- No. 1 UMass with a 10-3 loss. The Minutemen kept the Tigers off the board until 2:50 in the third quarter, scoring six goals themselves. Sean Maguire, Matt Lamon and Andrew Hodgson each scored a goal for Towson. Justin Mabus led the Tigers with two assists. Art Kell (3) and Colin Fleming (4) had hat tricks for UMass, and Will Manny totaled five assists. Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves for Towson, while Tim McCormack stopped eight shots for UMass.Towson-UMass Series HistoryAlthough this series began in 1963, it is a short one. After UMass claimed a 7-3 win on March 28, 1963, the Minutemen and the Tigers did not play again until 2010. Towson won both games played that season, but UMass has won the last three consecutive meetings by a combined score of 33-14.

Towson-UMass By the Numbers

All-Time Series Record

UMass leads, 4-2

at Towson

Tied, 1-1

at UMass

UMass leads, 2-1

at Neutral Sites

N/A

at Unknown Sites

UMass leads, 1-0

First Meeting

1963 – UMass 7, Towson 3

Last Meeting

2012 – UMass 10, Towson 3

Streak

UMass +3

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Opening Face-Off
Towson went 2-0 last week, defeating UMBC 12-9 and Delaware 7-6 in overtime, both on the road. Hofstra is ranked No. 15 in the USILA coaches’ poll this week. The Pride is coming off an 11-9 win over Dartmouth at home on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Towson started the CAA season off with a 7-6 overtime win at Delaware on Friday. The Tigers are now 5-5 on the year. Towson came back from being down 6-3 and scored three goals in the fourth quarter and the game winner in overtime after suffering through a 29:54 scoring drought. Thomas DeNapoli’s 35 points (27-8) lead the Tigers. Senior Andrew Wascavage is the starter in net and has a 9.06 goals-against average and a save percentage of .591.

Scouting the Pride
Hofstra has been ranked or receiving votes in the USILA coaches poll since the preseason. The Pride has been ranked as high as seventh (week of March 17) after winning four straight games from February 26 to March 16. In fact, Hofstra won five of its first six games before dropping two in a row to St. John’s (7-6) and Drexel (8-7 in 3ot). The Pride are led by Torin Varn‘s 23 goals, while Sam Llinares has a team best 25 points (15g, 10a). Chris Selva minds the net for Hofstra, recording a goals-against average of 6.77 and a save percentage of .615 – both tops in the conference. He is the only CAA goalkeeper allowing under seven goals per game.

Towson-Hofstra Series History
Begun in 1961, Towson and Hofstra have played each other 43 times. The series pre-dates reliable records; five times the teams played where the sites of the games were unknown. Hofstra leads these meetings, 3-2. The Tigers have historically fared better at home, winning 12 of 19 games played in Towson. Towson won five straight games from 2003 to 2005, but Hofstra proceeded to win six of the next seven games until falling in last year’s double-overtime thriller.

Towson-Hofstra By the Numbers

All-Time Series Record

Hofstra leads, 24-19

at Towson

Towson leads, 12-7

at Hofstra

Hofstra leads, 13-5

at Neutral Sites

Hofstra leads, 1-0

at Unknown Sites

Hofstra leads, 3-1

First Meeting

1961 – Hofstra 14, Towson 2

Last Meeting

2012 – Towson 10, Hofstra 9 (2ot)

Streak

Towson +1

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For just the second time all season, Towson scored first and took a 2-1 lead into the second quarter. However Delaware scored five straight goals to take a 6-3 lead midway through the third quarter. The Tigers scored back-to-back goals in the fourth to trim the Hens’ lead to 6-5 with 8:09 remaining in the game and got last-minute heroics from sophomore Greg Cuccinello, who scored with 2.6 seconds left in regulation on a dribbler to send the game into overtime. Hodgson buried a high-low shot past the Delaware keeper from 13 yards out for the game winner with 1:45 showing on the clock in overtime.

Towson is now 4-2 in CAA season openers against the Blue Hens.

“Our team played tough all night but missed some good opportunities in the first half,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “I was proud of the way we dug in during the fourth quarter and overtime to earn the win against a strong Delaware team.”

Sophomore Cory Dobyns and Hodgson led the Tigers with two goals. Sophomores Justin Mabus and Cuccinello and junior Thomas DeNapoli each scored a goal for Towson. Redshirt sophomore Rob Zoppo, Hodgson, DeNapoli and McCarty each added an assist. Senior Andrew Wascavage made 13 saves in net for TU. Ian Robertson and Nick Diachenko each posted two goals for Delaware. Connor Peaks made 11 saves for UD.

Towson and Delaware split the face-offs eight apiece, and the Tigers outshot the Blue Hens 42-27 and picked up 29 ground balls to UD’s 27.

Dobyns scored his 16th of the year just outside the crease off a feed from Zoppo at 8:40 in the first. Mabus notched his second goal in two games when he scored unassisted just over two minutes later. Diachenko followed with the Blue Hens’ first of the game at 4:14. DeNapoli extended his points streak to 11 games when he notched the Tigers’ third goal of the half at 12:31 in the second for a 3-1 Towson lead.

But Delaware scored the next three straight goals to lead at the break. The Hens continued to generate offense at the start of the third. Robertson scored his second of the game after a failed Towson clear to give UD a 5-3 lead at 10:38 then assisted on Beau M. Jones’ goal at 6:05.

The Blue Hens extended their lead to three goals when Jones and Robertson teamed up to beat Wascavage high left. Dobyns ended a 29:54 scoring drought for the Tigers with an EMO tally at 12:37 in the fourth. Hodgson’s unassisted goal with 8:09 to go in the game inched Towson within one, 6-5.

Cuccinello’s ninth goal of the year forced overtime, and the Tigers won the opening face-off in the extra period. McCarty rifled a pass to Hodgson who was waiting 13 yards out and ripped his shot past Peaks for the winner.

NOTES: Towson and Delaware met in the Tigers’ CAA opener for the sixth time and fourth straight … Towson is 4-2 in those games … Thomas DeNapoli extended his points streak to 11 games with his goal in the first quarter … After not scoring in the first eight games, Justin Mabus has now posted a goal in back-to-back games … Towson scored first for just the second time in 2013 … The Tigers suffered through a 29:54 scoring drought in the middle of the game … Cory Dobyns scored his team-leading seventh EMO goal … He came into the week ranked tied for second in the nation in EMO goals … This was the third time this season Towson required overtime … The Tigers are now 2-1 in overtime this season.

Opening Face-OffThe Tigers are trying to win back-to-back games for the second time this season after a 12-9 win over UMBC powered by Thomas DeNapoli’s seven goals and 10 points. Delaware comes into Friday night’s game off a 10-5 CAA loss to No. 10 Hofstra this past Saturday. Friday night’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the TigersJunior Thomas DeNapoli scored a career-best seven goals and 10 points to lead Towson past UMBC this past Tuesday. The Tigers struggled defensively in the first half before locking down on “D” in the second. Senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made a season-high-tying 15 saves in the win. Sophomore Cory Dobynsadded two goals.

Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware has had a rough year so far, going 2-5 in the non-conference slate and opening CAA play with a 10-5 loss to Hofstra. The Hens are 0-4 at home and are being outscored by an average of 1.5 goals per game (85-73). Eric Smith leads UD with 20 points on the year, while Nick Diachenko is the Blue Hens’ leading goal-scorer with 16. Tyler Barbarich is finding success at the face-off X, winning 96-of-168 attempts (.571).Chris Herbert minds the net for Delaware and has a 10.49 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .541.
Towson-Delaware Series HistoryThis is one of Towson’s oldest series. Starting in just the third season the Tigers had a program, the teams have met 53 times in the last 51 years. Towson has won five of the last eight meetings. Thirty have been decided by three goals or less; the Tigers are 18-12 in those games. Of the 30 matchups decided by three goals or fewer, 12 have been one-goal margins of defeat. Delaware holds the edge in those games, 7-5.

The game was close from the start. UMBC scored first and stayed a goal ahead until the Retrievers took a 5-3 lead at 10:55 in the second quarter. But that advantage didn’t last long before DeNapoli scored his first man-up goal of the year just under four minutes later. He tied the game at eight apiece at 2:37 with his sixth goal of the game. That score keyed a five-goal run for the Tigers that sealed the win.

“We were very happy to get the win,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “Obviously you need them all but getting a win against a good team and in-state rival is important. It was nice to see us rebound and show we had it in us. Going into CAA play with the way the guys fought tonight was really good to see.”

DeNapoli’s goal total was a career high and marked the first time since 2003 a Tiger had six or more goals in a road game. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage tied his season high with 15 saves. Sophomore Cory Dobynsadded two. UMBC freshman Pat Young led the Retrievers with a hat trick. Each team took 39 shots for the game, but UMBC picked up 26 ground balls to Towson’s 22.

The Tigers’ defense struggled in the first half, conceding four goals in the first quarter, and Towson lost the ground ball battle, 12-5, in that frame.

“I know [the defense] didn’t play the way they wanted in the first half,” said DeNapoli. “But they stepped up big in the second half.”

“Our problem was really picking up ground balls,” said Wascavage. “Ï left some rebounds out there I shouldn’t have. Thomas really carried us through the first half, and we stepped it up in the second half.”

At halftime the Tigers made adjustments and limited the Retrievers to two goals the entire second half. Towson also strengthened its face-off play in the last three quarters. After going 1-for-8 in the first frame, freshman Pat Conroy took over duties at the “X” and went 7-fo-13.

“Conroy’s play was awesome,” continued Wascavage. “Neutralizing [Phil] Poe was big. He’s a good face-off guy. Winning the ball meant keeping the ball down on our offensive end.”

The Tigers finish a four-game road trip and open Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play on Friday, March 22 at Delaware at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Thomas DeNapoli scored a career-high seven goals for Towson … it marked the first time since 2003 a Tiger had six or more goals in a road game … DeNapoli’s 10 points marked the first time since March 31, 2012 when he did it against Mercer on 3g and 3a …